As a supermodel, Tyra Banks is used to the stares of others and the snap of camera shutters every time she steps out in public. But in 2005 she experienced scrutiny of another kind when she donned a "fat suit" in public that made her appear to weigh 350 pounds. Banks wore the suit for an undercover taping of her talk show in an attempt to learn how it feels to be mistreated as an obese person.
"The people that were staring and laughing in my face—that shocked me the most," Banks said. "As soon as I entered the store when I went shopping, I immediately heard snickers. Immediately! I was appalled and hurt!"
Through bus rides, shopping, and blind dates, Banks put herself in the shoes of large people and experienced their feelings of hurt and rejection. "There's no excuse for rudeness. There's no excuse for ugliness. And there's no excuse for nastiness, and that's what I experienced," Banks said.
